The Complete Guide To Writing Content That Sells & Converts

Copywriting is the art of creating content that sells. Whether you’re writing a blog post, landing page, or sales letter, it all comes down to one thing: your ability to sell your audience on buying something from you.
The best copywriters are able to communicate complex ideas in simple words people want to read and share with others. Copywriting can be used for everything from blogs and landing pages to emails and ads – but if done right, it’s almost always effective (and sometimes even life-changing).
As such, learning how to write persuasive content that sells and converts is essential for any business owner who wants their marketing efforts (both online & off) to reach their full potential!
In this article, I’ll show you how to write a successful landing page by combining psychology and copywriting techniques into one easy-to-follow guide!
What Is Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?
Your unique selling proposition is a clear, concise description of what makes you different from your competitors. It is critical to understand what makes your company or product stand out and how that can be used to attract customers.
Is It A USP Or A Unique Selling Proposition?
It’s easy to confuse the terms “unique selling proposition” with “unique selling point” because they sound similar, and both refer in some way to the same thing: the single thing about your business that sets it apart from others in its field.
However, there are subtle differences between these two phrases that are important for companies looking to create an effective marketing campaign based on their unique value propositions (UVP).
Both terms are used to describe the USP, however, they are not interchangeable. The main difference between a unique selling point and a unique selling proposition is that a unique selling point is a benefit that your product or service offers to consumers that they can’t get anywhere else or more cheaply.
It is typically used in advertisements and marketing campaigns as a way to convince customers to buy from a business over its competitors. In contrast, a unique selling proposition is your business’s biggest selling point – and mainly relates to the company’s product or service.
Know Your Audience
Before you start writing and creating content, you need to know your audience. Here are some questions that will help you get started:
- Who is your target audience?
- What do they want to learn about or buy?
- What are the problems they face?
- What are the pain points those problems cause for them?
- How can you help them by providing value through your content (i.e., provide something useful, entertaining or educational)?
- Why would someone choose my product or service over another similar one (and what might they get if they don’t choose mine)?
Once you’re clear on who your audience is and what they want from a website like yours, it’s time to dig deeper into their pain points so that you can provide solutions in the form of helpful blog posts or landing pages.
What Is the Psychology Behind the Best Copywriting?
When it comes to copywriting, the most effective marketing campaigns are those that appeal to the psychology of your audience. By tapping into their emotions and social triggers, you can create content that converts better than anything else out there.
In order to understand how psychology works in copywriting, let’s go over some terms used in marketing:
Rational triggers – These are rational reasons why a customer would want or need something. For example, if you want people to buy your product because it will make them healthier or happier (or make them money), then this is a rational trigger for your product.
Emotional triggers – These emotional reasons involve tapping into deeper feelings that relate back to their wants and needs but aren’t quite as tangible as what’s listed above (e.g., feeling secure).
Social triggers – Social factors come into play when someone feels like they’re missing out on something if they don’t buy from you now instead of waiting until later when they might change their minds; this includes fear-based tactics around scarcity (limited quantity) or urgency (eagerness).
Provide Solutions to Their Problems
The most effective way to present your product is to give your audience what they want. It sounds simple, but it’s not. Many times people make the mistake of thinking in terms of their own needs instead of their audience’s needs. If you want to sell your products, you have to understand who is going to buy it and why.
The best way for you to do this is by identifying pain points for your target market and then giving them solutions that solve those problems specifically.
For example, if a potential customer has issues with paying high fees from banks every month because they have multiple credit cards, you could provide them with an alternative solution, such as a prepaid debit card that doesn’t charge any monthly fees or late payment penalties (but still allows them access all their funds at once).
Create A Benefit-Driven Headline
Your headline should be benefit driven. This means that it should tell the reader what the content is about and why they should care.
The headline should not be too long, too short, too vague, or too specific.
Your content will perform best when it’s engaging and relevant to your target audience – and you can create these qualities by focusing on your headline. Don’t waste time wondering what the perfect headline is; there isn’t one! Your job is to write something good enough to get their attention and make them click through to read more of what you have written.
Headlines help generate interest in blog posts, articles, videos, and other types of web content without requiring any additional effort on your part beyond creating an enticing title that accurately describes the article itself (i.e., “How To Write Better Headlines”).
Eliminate Distractions On Your Landing Page
One of the most important aspects of writing copy that converts is eliminating distractions on your landing page. This will help customers focus on what you’re trying to sell them and give them a clear idea of how it can benefit them.
Use a single color scheme that’s easy to read. If you want people to read your text, make sure it’s in a large font size with plenty of line spacing between lines (if possible).
You should also use bullet points or numbered lists whenever possible so that readers can quickly scan through and get the message without having to read everything word-for-word.
If the only images you have are those related directly with your product or service, then great – but keep in mind that any unnecessary images could distract from what matters most: The words themselves!
Also, try using white space liberally within each paragraph, so they stand out visually while remaining legible at smaller sizes; this helps readers know where one section ends and another begins so they don’t get confused while reading through pages upon pages worth of information about similar topics.
Use The Word “You” – Take A Personal Approach In Your Copy
Personalization helps you connect with your audience and builds trust. When you can speak directly to your reader or prospect, the message becomes more relevant and compelling.
When writing copy for landing pages, don’t use “we” or “our”. Instead, change it up a bit using personal pronouns: “I”, “you”, “your”, “us”, etc.
Use An Emotional Appeal
Use an emotional appeal – tell stories that touch readers’ hearts and make them feel emotions. It’s a proven fact that people are more likely to buy from you when they can relate to your brand and its purpose.
Help people connect with your product or service by telling stories that illustrate how others have benefited from it.
You could also use images or videos of real customers who used the product/service, so readers can see how it works in real life.
Tell Them What They Should Do
Now that you know what your audience needs to hear, it’s time to tell them. Tell them what they should do, why they should buy or sign up, and what they’re going to get. Don’t just say: “Sign up for our newsletter.” Write actionable sentences like “Subscribe today and receive 6 free eBooks on how to save money.”
If you are writing content for a business site, write in the voice of your company or brand. For example: “Sign up today and receive our best tips from the last three months.”
Remember The Power Of Social Proof & Statistics
Social proof is the idea that an action or decision is validated by others. It’s one of the most powerful tools you can use to sell your product or service, and it’s easy to implement.
Social proof can be in the form of testimonials, reviews, case studies or other forms of customer-submitted content. The important thing is to make sure this type of content is shown prominently on your landing page so that visitors know they are getting something popular with many users or customers.
If you’re selling an ecommerce product such as a book or software, show how many people have bought it already! You could do this by showing how many copies have been sold so far (as long as there aren’t too many numbers), as well as how many reviews people have left for this particular item. This way, consumers will feel confident in buying because they know what others think about it firsthand!
You can also take advantage of statistics to prove your point. If you’re writing about the benefits of using [product], for instance, use a statistic like “[product] increases conversions by 25%.”
You can also combine statistics with social proof to build trust and credibility with the reader: “Other companies are using the [product] to increase conversions by 25%.”
Social proof is a persuasive element that works well in copywriting. If people are doing something, it must be good – or at least better than what they were doing before!
Make The Content Scannable
You want to make it easy for your reader to get through your content in the fastest time possible. You can do this by using formatting such as headings and subheadings, bullet points and numbered lists, bold text, italicized text, and underlined text.
Bolding or italicizing certain words or phrases is a great way of breaking up content into easily digestible chunks that are easier on the eye than large blocks of black type on white background. Using these techniques also makes it easier for search engines such as Google to understand what’s important in each sentence – which helps boost SEO rankings too!
Another way to break up text without having to use formatting is by using images or other visual elements (think graphs/charts etc.). These are perfect for showing results that can’t be put into words easily (e.g., sales figures over time), but they’re also useful when you need just one more thing on top of an existing image stack – such as pricing plans – so people don’t have to scroll down through everything else before finding what they’re looking for!
Write Shorter Paragraphs, Shorter Sentences
Short paragraphs and sentences are easier to read, understand, and remember. Long paragraphs and sentences are more difficult to read, understand, and remember.
A good rule of thumb for most writing is that you should aim for about 15 words per line with a maximum of 20 or so characters per line (including spaces).
That means a paragraph would be roughly 5-8 sentences long – but it also depends on how complicated your sentence structure is.
If you’re using clauses in your sentences, then they will likely be longer than a simple subject/verb/object form that most people used when they were learning how to write English at school!
Use Bullet Points
Bullet points are a great way to break up text and highlight important information. These can be used to make your content easier to read, as well as allowing readers to quickly scan through the key points of your post.
Bullets are also perfect for highlighting subheadings within your text, as they provide users with an additional visual cue that helps them understand the structure of your post.
Add Intrigue By Asking Questions
Questions are a great way to keep your readers focused on what you have written. They also create curiosity and encourage the reader to keep reading.
Questions can be used to summarize information, such as a list of features or benefits in bullet points or numbered lists. For example:
- What is the best way to lose weight?
- What do doctors recommend?
These sentences can be followed by answers from experts that give additional details about each option (e.g., “Doctors advise eating healthy foods and exercising regularly”).
You can also ask questions to get people’s attention by asking about something that interests them, such as their health concerns or problems with other systems:
- Are you concerned about how much time it takes to clean your house?
Use The Active Voice
When writing for the web, you should keep the active voice in mind.
Active voice is more direct and engaging to read than passive voice. It also makes it easier for readers to follow along with your ideas (especially if they’re skimming).
The passive voice has its place – especially when there are multiple subjects or objects being discussed together – but it’s often too wordy, making it harder for people to understand what you’re trying to say. This is especially true on the web, where there isn’t much space available for you to express yourself clearly and concisely in every sentence.
Here’s an example of sales copy that uses the passive voice:
“Your keyboard has been needing cleaning by you for some time.”
Notice how the object (keyboard) comes before the subject (you)? Now let’s turn that same sentence into the active voice:
“Are you sick of cleaning your keyboard?”
Notice here how the subject (you) comes before the object, and the verb describes what you are doing rather than what should be happening to the object? This is what you should aim for in your copywriting wherever possible.
The Best Copywriting Doesn’t Try To Sell
The best copywriting doesn’t try to sell. It helps people solve problems.
Why? Because when you help someone solve their problem, they’re already in pain and looking for a solution – which means that it’s more likely they’ll buy whatever you’re selling them.
A lot of people write copy that tries to convince the reader that your product or service is the best option available (often using words like “best” or “only”). This kind of approach can work if you’ve got really compelling reasons why your product or service is better than others on the market; but even then, readers may not be convinced by an ad alone – they’ll need more information before making a decision one way or another – and so there’s no guarantee that this approach will get results.
Include A Call-To-Action (CTA)
A call-to-action (CTA) is a message that tells your readers what to do next. A CTA can be a single statement or question, an image with text overlaid on top, or even a link or button that takes readers to another page.
A strong CTA will encourage your audience to take action after reading your content. This could mean clicking through to purchase something, subscribing to an email list, making an appointment with you in person or via phone/Zoom/etc., etc.
Conclusion
These are just some of the things you can do to write a successful landing page. There is no magic formula, but there are some best practices when it comes to your copywriting that can help make it more engaging and persuasive.
Remember that the best copywriting doesn’t try to sell; rather, it helps people solve problems by providing them with the information they need in order to make an informed decision about whether or not they should buy from you.
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